Controlling arc-lamps.



No. 697,007. Patented Apr. 8, I902.

E. OXLEY.

CONTROLLING ARC LAMPS.

(Application filed Aug. 25, 1900.)

(No Model.)

t-ll Witnesses Inventor.

Eustace 0x165,

: for an unlimited service.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EUST'AOE OXIJEY, OF BROOKLYN, NEWV YORK, ASSIGNOR TO THE GENERALELECTRIC COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

CONTROLLING ARC-LAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent- N 0. 697,007, dated April8, 1902.

Application filed August 25,1900. Serial No. 28,006. (No model.)

To (all whom it play concern:

Be it known that I, EUSTACE OXLEY, a subject of the Queen of GreatBritain and Ireland, residing at Brooklyn, in the State of 5 NewYork,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ControllingArc-Lamps, (Case No. 1,223,) of which the following is a specification.

In lighting by arc-lamps it is frequently d e- IO sirable to operatesome of the arc-lamps in the distribution-circuit for determinateperiods only, and in cases where such a use is practicable the consumerdesires a charge rate less than that made by the supply company Forexample, a merchant may desire the use of certain arclamps in his storeor other place of business only for a few hours in the evening, orsometimes constant-potential lamps are supplied from a low-tension mixeddistribution system for street-lighting, and it is necessary to burn thearc-lamps only at certain hours, and in such systems it is sometimesgreatly to the advantage of the supply company to furnish current forarc-lamps of this type, since they may burn at a time when there is adip in the load curve, and the eiiiciency of the system may therefore beincreased. Methods have been proposed for controlling the operation ofarc-lamps for such purposes. In some extra conductors are employed tocut in and out the lamps at specified times; but a serious objection tothis is the additional conductor or conductors required,increasing boththe expense of installation and the liability of the system to get outof order. Others employ eight-day clocks to govern the lampswitches.This is also expensive and liable to be uncertain. I have provided anorganination by which the same results may be accomplished without theemployment of extra conductors and which will permit the control of thelamps from the central station or other desired point in the system. Ieffect this resuit by electromagnetically controlling the lamps over acircuit formed of the supplywires themselves, the operation of acontrolling device at the central station or other point of controlbeing all that is needed to insure the kindling or extinguishment of thelamps. In a three-wire distributing system the result may convenientlybe effected by providing a switch at the central station by which one ofthe potential-wires may be grounded, a grounded electromaguet at thepoint where the lamps are employed being thereby put into circuit andacting to out in the lamp. In a two-wire system the organization wouldbe exactly the same.

The invention also embodies various fea- 6o tures, the novelty of whichwill be hereinafter pointed out and which will be definitely indicatedin theappended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, which illustrate diagrammatically a systemembodying my improvements, Figure 1 shows the application to athree-wire low-potential direct-current system, and Fig. 2 to a two-wiresystem, such as that employed in the operation of electric railwayswhere the return'circuit is insu- 7o lated.

1, 2, and 3 in Fig. 1 represent the three wires of adirect-current-supply system, which may be employed to operate the usualmixed types of translating devices supplied with energy from suchcircuits. These maybe motors, incande'scent electric lamps, inclosed-arclamps, and other types of electric apparatus.

t represents a constant-potential arc-lamp, the circuit of which may becontrolled by a switch actuated by an electromagnet 5, connected in aground branch 6, leading from one of the wires, say, to the neutral wire2 of the distributing system. The switch may be of any satisfactoryconstruction, but should be organized so that with continuous operationthe circuit may at any time be opened and closed with certainty by theoperation of the controlling-switch at the central station.

I have shown in the drawings a revolving type of switch, in which a drumor disk is provided at equal circumferential positions with strips ofinsulation embedded in its rim, the contact-spring 7 being set so as tobear upon the periphery. The axis upon which the disk is 5 mountedcarries a fixed ratchet-wheel 8,which is engaged by a pawl carried bythe lever on which the armature of the electromagnet 5 is mounted. Aspring or other retractile agent and a set-screw or back-stop, asindicated in Fig. 1, are provided to limit the movement of the armature.In conductive relation to the metallic'disk'is an'elastic contact 9,bearing on its shaft a contact which connects with one terminal of thelamp. Theother' terminal of the lamp and the brush 7 lead to'two mainsof different potential, as2 and At the cen tral station I provide aswitch 10, the pivot of which is gronnd'ed,as by the Wire 11,and whichmay be brought into engagement with the contact 12, connecting with oneof the potential wires of the system. Thus when, the switch is closedoneof the wires, as 3, isgrounded,

permitting current to flow throughthe ground 6 at the severaltranslating devices which are a may be apportioned on the sides of thethreewire circuit shown in Fig. 1 in such a way as to balance theloadbetween the two generators, a similar grounding-switch being pro-' videdfor the other main. After closing the I switch 10, and thus effectingthe cutting in of the lamp, it should be opened again, so as todisconnect the ground, and when the time arrives for cutting out thelamp the operator at the central station may again close the switch,thereby giving the switch-disk that controls the lamp another forwardimpulse, causing the brush .to come into engagement with one oftheinsulating-spots, and thereby cutting out the lamp. j Thus it will beseen that repeated control of the lamps may'be effected withoutinterfering with the proper action of the switch. Itis not imperative,however, that a switch of the particular type shown should be employed,since the only essential requirement is that the electromagnet 5 may beenergized and then after performing work be denergized without cuttingout the lamp, to the end that the lamp may operate for a desired periodand that when the electromagnet is subsequently energized it may rupturethe lamp-circuit.

To the end that the operator at the central station may know thecondition of adjustment of the translating devices he is controlling, Iprovide at the central station an indicator showing when they areoperating. A

convenient way of controlling the indicator is by the-employment of aswitch similar in construction to that employed in controlling .thetranslating devices, an indicator being included in place of thetranslating device such, for example, as an incandescent lamp. 14represents such an indicator, and 15 a 'itmore than once.

switch-disk for controlling it in a manner similarto that alreadydescribed at the consumers' station. When the switch is closed,

it'will be seen that the electro'magnet 5 is put between thepotential-wire 3 andtheneu- ,tral wire, th us operating its armature andshifting the switch-disk simultaneously with the switch-disk at the'consumers station, the

lamp 14 being thereby cut in betweenthe mains 2 and 3 an'dburnin'g untilthe switch 10 is again'closed. Thus the indicator 14 mistakes-on thepart of theoperator in forgetting to operate the switch or in operatingMy improvements are equally applicable to serves to prevent'poor servicebypreventing I two-wire distribution-circuits, sinceit willbe perfectlyevid'ent from anexaminat'ion of Fig. 1 that theomission of the wire 1will in no sense alter the method of control.

In power-circuits, such as are employed for operating electric railways,and particularly where the return-circuit is insulated, it may also beapplied. Such an organization is shown in Fig. 2, where arailway-circuit,such as a five-hundred-volt .underrunning trolleysystem, is illustrated. In such circuits it is common to employa groupof arc-lamps connected in series, five commonly being inserted acrossthe circuit, as [indicated at 16. The mode of control is exactly thesame as that described in connection withFig. 1,-correspondin g partshaving the same numbers. It will therefore be unnecessary to repeat thedescription. 1

While I have shown and described a specific method ofoperating thecontrollingswitch, my invention is not limited thereto, but may becarried outin other ways in which the'current-carrying wires of thesystem are employed to selectively operate the translating devices; noris my invention limited to the mode of control herein specificallydescribed, as other ways of imposing operating current or potential onthe switches governing the operation of the translating devices may toobe employed with-the broader claims hereinbelow set'forth. 7

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent of the United States, is-- 1. In a system ofelectrical distribution, the combination, with a supply-circuit, of aplurality of translating devices in operative re lation thereto, amagnetically-operated circuit-controller in a ground branch of the supply-circuit, controlling the several translat-v ,ing devices, a switchoperated by said circuitcontroller to cut in and out the severaltranslating devices, a second ground branch of opposite electricalpotential at the'control-station, and a switch for opening and closingsaid branch.

2. In a system of electrical distribution,the combination with asupply-circuit, of a plurality of translating devices in operativerelation thereto, it magnetically-operated circuit-controller in aground branch of the supply-circuit for the respective translating devices, a switch operated thereby to cut in and out of circuit therespective translating devices, a second ground branch of oppositeelectrical potential at the control-station governingthecircuit-controller, aswiteh governing said branch, and an electricindicator in the control-circuit at the control-station.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 23d clay of August,A. D. 1900.

EUSTAOE OXLEY. W'itn esses:

\V. \V. MANsFIELD, A. A. Iosr.

